Closure for receptacles.



No. 737,147. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903.

' J. 11. RIVERS.v

CLOSURE POR REGBPTACLES.

kAPPLIOATION FILED APR.27, 1903.

NO MODEL.

atented August 25, 1903.

JULIAN H. nii/'Ens' or sr. Louis, Missionar, Assienon :ro unrrnnsra'rns riser. srorrnn ooMrANY, oF sr. Louis, Missouni, A eonPonATioN or' SOUTH DAKQTA.

croisons Fos ecssrscres.

srncrrrca'rron 'forming part of Lenser.. rs1-.entita realer, dates august 25,1903.

Application iiled April 27, 1908.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.:

r Be it known that l, JULIAN H. RIVERS, ay citizen'of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Closures for Receptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use'the same, reference no being had to the accompanying'. drawings, forming part of this specification, in which--v Figure l is a vertical sectional View of the mouth of the bottle, showing a well-known form of cork disk-resting thereon. Fig. 2is l5 a similar view showing the clamping-cap cooperating with the cork disk and illustrating by' dotted lines the area of. surface-contact between the cork disk and thebottle-mouth. Fig.3 is a similar view showing my improved zo plano-convex disk resting on the mouth of thebottle and Fig. 4 is a rview illustrating the metal cap cooperating with the plano-convex disk, the dotted lines showing the extended area of surface-contact. A,

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in closures forreceptacles and particularly for bottles, they same being designed particularlyas an improvement upon what is commonly known as the Crown stop per, whichjs a metallic cap-piece having its marginal edges crimped .under an exterior shoulder at the mouthof the; bottle, the said cap-piece clamping in position a flat thin disk,

usually of cork, against the mouth of the bottle. Where cork is used, the pores form .communicating openings with the exterior, and a backing of parain paper is commonly employed between the cork disk and the metal of the cap. Cork is further objectionable because the tannic acid remaining therein is discolored, forming black specks, which give the impression to many persons of uncleanliness. It is because of these objections that the above-mentioned Stoppers with the cork disk are used only for 'domestic purposes, where beer and other liquids are to be locally consumed within a short time. Experiment has demonstrated that for export purposes the stoppers above described are insecure and 5o not satisfactory. Manufacturers, therefore,

tallic cap-piece of the Grown or other simi- Serial No. 154.459. (No model.)

rely on the long lcorks inserted in the neck of the bottle, said corks being at least one and one-half inches long and secured in position by wires or otherv fastening devices. Such corks for export purposes must be of the better grade and on accountof their size are quite expensive. v f

My presentinvention consists in a disk to be `used preferably in connection with a me- `6o lar stopper. This disk ismade of homogene-` ous paper pulp which is pressed into shape, so` that the fibers on the surface are calendered to form a matted or felted integument. These intertwining fibers at thesurface preserve the shape of the disk and prevent swelling and disintegration when in contact with liquids. The disk is further made plano-cofnvex in.4 shape, so that itsthickened central portion will extend a little distance into the mouth of the bottle. The purpose of vthis is to increase the area of surface-contact at the mouth of the. bottle. Furthermore, to prevent the disk from absorbing the liquid contents of the bottle I prefer to immerse the disk in hot paraiiin or other` equivalent substance for wellunderstood reasons.

Referring now to the drawings, l indicates the mouthv portion of a bottle, having the usual exterior shoulder 2 for cooperating with the crimped margins of the metallic cap-piece 3. These parts are of well-known construction, and l deem it unnecessary to describey the details furtheror to explain the manner in which the cap-piece is clamped in position,

'as this is well understood. y 4. indicates the thin flat cork disk which is in common use, and l haveillustrated 'this cork disk for comparativepurposes. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the surfacecontact between the margins of the cork disk and the mouth ofthe bottle is comparatively small. v 5 indicates the plano-convex pulp disk, whose surface is calendered,as"and for the pur- 9 5 poses described, said disk being preferably treated with paraliinl lor other substance to prevent absorption of the liquid contents-of the'bottle. When this plano-convex disk is placed in position upon the mouth of the bottle roo y used to clamp the disk in place, the margins of the disk are forced over and down onto the outer surfaces of the mouth of the bottle, the material of which .the disk is composed readily lendingitself tosuch treatment, and in thisway the surface-contact is measurably increased- Y in faet,to such an extent that bottles closed as above described may with safety be used for export purposes. Furthermore, by the use of m'y invention paraffin paper, heretofore em- -ployed with cork disks, is dispensed with.

The disk in color is a grayish white and, containing no acids, which will discolor, it retains a cleanly appearance at all times.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I l. As a new article of manufacture for use as a closure for receptacles, a plano-convex disk made of homogeneously-felted pulp; substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture for use as a closure for receptacles, a plano-convex disk made of homogeneously-fe1ted pulp and having its surface calendered to form a protecting matted integument; substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture for use as a closure for receptacles, a plano-convex homogeneously-felted pulp disk whose surface is calendered to form a protecting matted integument, said disk being treated with a substance to prevent the absorption by the disk of the liquidcontents of the bottle; sub stantially as described.

4. The combination ,with a bottle having a shoulder near its mouth, of a metal cap cooperating with lsaid shoulder, and a planoconvex pulp disk clamped against the mouth offthe bottle by the metal cap; substantially as describeda 5. The combination with a bottle having an exterior shoulder near its mouth, of a metal cap whose marginal flanges are crimped under said shoulder, anda plano-convex pulp disk fitting in close contact with the inner, upper and outer surfaces of the bottle-mouth; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of April, 1903.

JULIAN ll. RIVERS. llVitnesses:

GEORGE BAKEWELL, GEORGE A. PENNINGTON. 

